George Santos, the Republican congressman whose political career crumbled due to an extensive array of lies and fraudulent activities, was sentenced on Friday to more than seven years in federal prison in Long Island for crimes including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In a Central Islip courtroom, the emotional Santos broke down as Judge Joanna Seybert revealed the length of his prison term, leaving him visibly shaken.
Dressed in a gray suit with a blue sweater and tie, Santos was also ordered to pay a total of $373,749 in restitution to his victims, along with $205,002.07 in forfeiture that will also be directed to those he defrauded.
He has been mandated to surrender by July 25.
Offering a tearful apology in court, Santos remarked, “I take responsibility for my actions. I was wrong … I can’t rewrite the past but I can control the road ahead.”
However, Judge Seybert challenged his expressions of remorse, questioning, “Where’s your remorse? Where do I see it?”
She emphasized the impact of his fabrications, stating, “Mr. Santos, words have consequences,” and pointed out that those very lies had paved his path to Congress.
Santos, who nodded in agreement while visibly emotional, received comfort from his attorney, Andrew Mancilla, who placed a hand on his back.
Prosecutors had sought the full 87-month sentence due to Santos’ extensive list of scams.
These included stealing the identities of eleven individuals to falsely report tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations, using his supporters’ credit card information for personal expenses such as designer clothing, and deceiving donors into contributing to a nonprofit that ultimately funneled money into his personal account.
While his lawyers pleaded for the mandatory minimum of two years, citing his troubled upbringing and mental health issues, the prosecution painted a darker picture.
John Durham, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, described Santos’ actions as a “brazen crime spree” that victimized numerous individuals, including political supporters, constituents, and voters.
“From the moment he declared his candidacy for Congress, Santos leveraged his campaign for his own enrichment and financial benefit,” Durham explained.
He emphasized the premeditated nature of Santos’ scams, targeting vulnerable elderly individuals suffering from cognitive issues.
Durham concluded, “Today, Santos has been held accountable for his years of fraud, deceit, and theft. He’s going to federal prison and will be punished for his staggering fraud and the abuses he placed on our electoral process.”
The rise and fall of Santos gained national attention shortly after he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022.
Public intrigue spiked when a New York Times investigation began to unravel a series of falsehoods within his self-created biography.
Among his many fabrications were claims of graduating from Baruch College, attending New York University, and holding jobs at financial giants Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.
Additionally, he falsely identified himself as Jewish and claimed that his grandparents had fled the Holocaust, claims which also disintegrated upon scrutiny.
However, Santos’ preposterous assertions soon escalated into legal troubles in 2023 when federal authorities indicted him on numerous charges, Many legal experts opined that the prosecution’s case would be an easy win.
In December 2023, the House of Representatives expelled Santos, and in August he pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft shortly before a trial was scheduled to commence.
In a letter to Judge Seybert, Santos’ legal representatives presented a starkly different story about his background than what he portraited to voters and donors.
They wrote about his father’s struggles with alcohol and his mother’s gambling addiction, noting that they divorced in 2000.
After moving to Brazil with his mother and sister post-fourth grade, Santos returned to New York briefly, only to attend William Cullen Bryant High School for a month in 2004 before leaving due to bullying.
He finally obtained a high school equivalency diploma in 2006.
Santos’ lawyers also spoke of his ongoing battles with mental illness, mentioning a voluntary stay in a mental health facility around 2013 or 2014 as well as issues with alcohol consumption.
Despite this, prosecutors countered that Santos’s social media activity contradicted his claims of remorse, highlighting a post from April 4 where he declared that the Department of Justice could never “break my spirit.”
In various posts, Santos described himself as a “scapegoat” and accused Department of Justice officials of neglecting bigger issues within the government.
In a dramatic letter to the judge, Santos insisted, “Every sunrise since that plea has carried the same realization: I did this, me. I am responsible. But saying I’m sorry doesn’t require me to sit quietly while these prosecutors try to drop an anvil on my head.”
One victim, Richard Osthoff, remained skeptical of Santos’ apologies, labeling his tears as “crocodile tears.”
Osthoff, a veteran, alleged that Santos raised $3,000 for his ailing dog, Sapphire, only to steal the money.
Unfortunately, the dog died before receiving life-saving surgery.
Osthoff stated, “That wasn’t real. He’s not remorseful … He’s crying because he knows he’s getting bitten in the a’s and he’s got to go away now.”
His anger was evident as he confronted Santos’ vehicle, yelling, “You killed my dog … F–k you!”
In a dramatic conclusion to a scandal-ridden political saga, Santos will now face the ramifications of his actions as he begins his prison sentence, a stark reminder of the perils of political deceit.
image source from：https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/04/25/george-santos-sentencing-federal-fraud-case/
